1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus capable of performing a memory read operation for storing an image from a document into memory and performing transmission/reception processing for transmitting/receiving facsimile data via a communication line, simultaneously.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, a facsimile apparatus reads an image from a document with a scanner, converts this read document data into facsimile data for communication by coding (compressing) the read document data, and transmits the compressed data to a destination facsimile apparatus. Recently, a proposition has been made in which coded facsimile data is stored in a predetermined storage memory and the stored facsimile data is transmitted upon connection to a destination facsimile apparatus.
The process (hereinafter referred to as memory reading) of read document data, converting the document data into facsimile data, and storing the facsimile data, can be executed inside a facsimile apparatus without using a communication line. Consequently, a so-called dual access type facsimile apparatus is proposed in which memory reading and facsimile data transmission/reception can be performed simultaneously.
Meanwhile, transmission data, data such as name of the source, destination, and transmission date are attached to the facsimile data to be transmitted. A similar coding process is performed to the transmission data. At the facsimile apparatus on the other end of the line, the facsimile data is received and decoded (decompressed) for conversion into image data to be printed.
Compression and decompression for transmission/reception of facsimile data can be performed by one conversion device. For example, a coding circuit or a decoding circuit may be shared for both coding and decoding.
However, because the dual access type facsimile apparatus may perform memory reading and transmission/reception of facsimile data simultaneously, both the converting device for memory reading and the converting device for facsimile data transmission/reception may be required. Therefore, since the dual access type facsimile apparatus requires two or more converting devices having coding and decoding capabilities, the cost of the facsimile apparatus is increased.
It is therefore an object of the invention to minimize the number of converting devices necessary for coding and decoding in a dual access type facsimile apparatus to lower the cost thereof.